Desertclan
by Licht-chan
Summary: Deep within the desert, a clan struggles through a terrible drought. With prey and water running low, Falconstar prays for a miracle. Starclan gives a prophecy foretelling a special clan cat will save them all. Driven by impatience, the leader demands his medicine cat to find this cat and she succeeds. Will Sandwing be able to help Stonekit find the right path to his destiny?
1. Chapter 1

**Here's another one of my Warriors stories! (: I'm still writing chapters for my other story but here's another one to entertain you guys! Hope you enjoy! (I'll add more characters to the list as more cats are introduced.)**

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**Leader: **_Falconstar- Tan, tabby tom with blue eyes. His underside and paws are white._

**Medicine cat: **_Sandwing- Sandy, yellow she-cat with tan stripes on her back. Her eyes are green and her paws are white._

**Warriors:**

_Stormclaw- Large, gray tom with a patch of black fur on his back. His eyes are yellow._

_Firewhisker- Orange tom with green eyes. His muzzle and paws are white._

**Queens:**

_Nightfern- Black she-cat with green eyes and long legs. Mother of Stonekit._

_Dawnblossom- Pale silver she-cat with blue eyes._

**Kits:**

_Stonekit- Gray tom with black tabby markings in his pelt. His eyes are green. _

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"Sandwing...I think he's sick," mewed a weary voice from the medicine cat's den entrance.

A yellow she-cat sitting at the end of the den sighed. She set the poppy seeds she was counting down on the den's cool, sandy floor before glancing over her shoulder. She blinked at the young queen standing at the entrance, a newborn kit at her paws. "What makes you think that, Nightfern?" she asked curiously. "Does he have a fever?" she questioned, looking at the kit she helped deliver earlier that day.

Nightfern quickly shook her head. Carefully, she gripped her jaws around the small kit's body to lift him. Her black pelt was sleek and carried the warm scent of milk as she padded over to the medicine cat. "He hasn't nursed at all since he was born this morning," the queen explained, her voice tainted with concern as she set the kit by Sandwing's white paws.

"Well I admit that is a little peculiar..." Sandwing murmured as she sniffed the kit. "But he doesn't appear to be running a fever... or be sick at all," she blinked, not finding anything wrong with the kit who squirmed on to her paw for warmth.

"Then why isn't he nursing?" Nightfern frowned. "Shouldn't he be hungry by now?"

"I don't know, Nightfern," Sandwing admitted sheepishly as she placed the kit back by his mother's paws. "Why don't you try this; take him back to the nursery for now and let him sleep. It's not good for a queen like you to be wandering around in this heat anyhow. If he hasn't nursed by dusk, tell me. By then I'm sure I'll have a solution for you. I promise!" she assured with a wave of her tail.

Nightfern gave the young medicine cat a questioning look but sighed in defeat. "Alright Sandwing, I'll do just as you said. Thank you," she ended with dip of her head.

Sandwing watched the queen carry the mewling kit out of the den with a blank expression. As soon as she was sure Nightfern was back in the nursery, Sandwing jolted to her paws. Hastily, she tried her best to walk out of the den in a casual manner, her anxiety being shown only through the flicking of her tail. She began padding across the camp's clearing as it was baked by the mid-day's harsh temperatures. Her paws grew warm as they touched the hard ground, her claw tips "clicking" as they hit against it. Most of the clan's cats were waiting out the heat by staying in their dens, safe from the sun's scorching rays. All was quiet except for a small group of apprentices who were sharing some prey under the Tall Cliff's sheltering shade. Passing the chattering apprentices, Sandwing soon reached the entrance of the leader's den. Peering inside the cave within the side of the Tall Cliff, she let her eyes adjust to the den's dark interior before she managed to make out the shape of a laying tom. Her eyes locked with his blue ones as they beckoned for her to speak.

Fur prickling, the medicine cat made herself stand taller before announcing in a clear voice, "I have found the one we have been looking for, Falconstar."

"Is that so, Sandwing?" Falconstar sighed as he slowly rose to his feet. "Why does it feel like I've heard you say that before...?" he mused, beckoning her away from the entrance with his tail.

Sandwing cringed at his words before dragging her paws through the entrance. "But this time I'm positive he's that one!" she protested as she sat down in the center of the den.

"He? Who's he?" Falconstar frowned while he flicked his tail.

"Nightfern and Stormclaw's kit," Sandwing mumbled rather softly.

Falconstar rolled his eyes as he laid down across from her. "Do you actually have evidence this time to back up what Starclan told you?"

"Yes!" Sandwing blurted out instantly before her ears began to droop. "Well at least I think so..."

Falconstar frowned again. His eyes turned into icy splints as they narrowed at her. "I'm getting tired of your guessing games, Sandwing. You have already dragged me into similar situations three times before, each proving to be some misunderstanding of yours or some misinterpretation of Starclan's words. If you hadn't noticed, the current drought has been causing the clan more than enough suffering. There hasn't been a single rain cloud sighted in moons! We've had to drink the precious water from the Clear Pool which is already running dangerously low in case you weren't aware. The prey we eat is becoming scarce just as fast as the Clear Pool's water is vanishing! Do you think all these problems have me in the mood to play guessing games with the medicine cat that is supposed to be providing me with answers?" He ended, a growl escaping his snarling lips.

Sandwing cowered in shame, feeling very mouse-brained after hearing her leader's words. "I...I'm sorry for bothering you, Falconstar," she mewed. "I just had a strong vibe that this really was the cat. I even-"

"Falconstar!" Yowled a tom who rushed into his den.

"What is it, Lizardpatch?" Falconstar frowned as he sat upward.

"An adder has attacked Dawnblossom!" Lizardpatch exclaimed.

"What?" Falconstar hissed in shock. "Where is she?" he demanded, standing up.

"Our patrol found her by the Sand Dunes. We just brought her back but I don't think she's doing too well..." the tom admitted.

"Sandwing!" Falconstar snapped as he whipped his head to face her. "Stop sitting there like a mouse-brain and go check on her!"

Sandwing puffed out her fur in frustration. The interruption might have saved her from more harsh words from her leader but she needed to finish speaking to him! "Yes Falconstar..." she mumbled, turning for the den entrance. Stepping through it, she blinked at the large crowd in the clearing. Multiple cats had left their dens and were now clustered around a body near the entrance of camp. Sighing, she padded towards them, gently shoving her way through some warriors to examine Dawnblossom.

Sandwing looked down at the she-cat in shock, her eyes widening as she realized how bad the queen's condition was. Dawnblossom laid on her side with her eyes closed, her breaths coming out in hoarse rasps. Immediately the medicine cat spotted the adder's bite wound on her chest. It was large, looking as though the queen had pulled back while the snake's fangs were still in her, causing them to rip a long gash in her skin. Her mate, Firewhisker, was crouched beside her, his fur prickling with horror. "Carry her into my den!" she ordered hurriedly, racing back to her den.

Firewhisker instantly rushed forward. He grasped Dawnblossom's scruff between his jaws and followed Sandwing. He set the she-cat down in one of the nests in the den before looking at the medicine cat. "You have to save her, Sandwing!" he pleaded.

"I-I'll try," Sandwing replied, her paws shaking as she grabbed tormentil and yarrow from her herb storage. Streaking back to Dawnblossom's side, she began to chew the herbs into a pulp.

"Faster!" Firewhisker urged her, his eyes still wide with shock.

Sandwing bit herself by accident as the tom pressured her. Sighing, she removed the pulp from her jaws and began pressing it against Dawnblossom's wound.

"Is she better now? Will she be okay?" Firewhisker demanded, his tail flicking back and forth.

"Dawnblossom?" Sandwing mewed, ignoring the she-cat's mate. "Can you hear me...?" she asked, crouching low beside the she-cat.

Dawnblossom's eyelids fluttered but she remained silent. Her breathing changed from being hoarse to unnaturally shallow. Suddenly, the she-cat went completely still, her breathing coming to a stop.

"She's dying!" Firewhisker screeched in terror, shoving Sandwing away carelessly as he crouched by his mate's side.

Unprepared, Sandwing fell over with a meow of surprise when Firewhisker pushed her. She stared at the queen's body in vain. "No..." she breathed in defeat, sensing Dawnblossom's spirit leaving her body.

Firewhisker trembled as he pressed his muzzle into his mate's silver fur. "Dawnblossom don't go..." he whispered softly. "I need you...our kits need you!" he cried.

"Firewhisker, I'm so sorry..." Sandwing meowed gently as she got to her paws. She fell back down in surprise when Firewhisker hissed loudly at her.

"Why couldn't you save her!" he demanded, glaring down at the medicine cat with hatred. "She needed your help and you let her die! You left my kits motherless!" Firewhisker spat loudly. "I'll never forgive you for letting this happen! You're useless!" he snarled, pelting out of the den and into the nursery.

Sandwing stayed on the ground, her eyes glistening with tears. Blinking, she gazed over at Dawnblossom's body and wept, pressing her paws to her eyes. The death of the queen only made the day's past events seem even worse than they already were to the medicine cat. "Starclan…why can't I do anything right?" she whispered.

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**Aw poor Sandwing, I feel bad for her :( Maybe things will get better (: Hope you liked the first chapter! Comments and reviews are loved xD**


	2. Chapter 2

Across from the Tall Cliff and fresh-kill pile is a collection of thick and protective shrubs Desertclan uses as the nursery for its queens and kits. The brown branches and leaves of these shrubs rustled as Nightfern pushed through them, her kit held securely in her jaws. Padding around several empty nests, she carried him back over to their own where a gray tom sat waiting for them.

Smiling, the tom looked at her and asked, "Did Sandwing find what was wrong with him?"

"No, Stormclaw," Nightfern replied bluntly to her mate as she lowered herself into the nest. "Stonekit just doesn't know how to act normal," she sighed, setting the kit down beside her flank.

"Aw don't be so hard on the little guy," the warrior smiled in amusement. "Just because he hasn't felt like nursing doesn't mean he's defective or something."

Nightfern frowned up at the tom. "All he does is sleep though! He hasn't even spoken to us yet!"

"Probably just a little shy…" Stormclaw purred in amusement as he peered down at their first and only kit.

"You aren't taking this seriously," the queen growled in annoyance.

"For Starclan's sake, Nightfern! He was only born this morning! You act as though he should be ready to be an apprentice by now!" Stormclaw snorted in bewilderment.

Nightfern rolled her eyes in response to her mate. Ignoring Stonekit as he snuggled close to her belly, the queen peered into the nest beside hers. Within the nest laid three young kits curled up against one another. Each of them were quietly sleeping, unaware of the three cats in the nest beside them.

"Look at Dawnblossom's kits," the black she-cat sighed. "They're only a week older than Stonekit and they are almost twice his size! That's probably because they actually nurse," she huffed, proud of the point she had just made.

"Too bad they have been left alone since dawn," Stormclaw mused. "Where is their mother anyway?"

Nightfern flicked her ears as she continued to gaze dreamily at the three kits. "Dawnblossom went for a walk when I started kitting. She said she'd take the opportunity to stretch her legs after being stuck in the nursery for so long and give me some privacy," Nightfern explained.

"Weird that she isn't back yet," Stormclaw commented, glancing at the entrance.

His mate only shrugged as she looked up from the kits. "Maybe she decided to try her luck at hunting. Whatever the reason, I have time to befriend her kits now," Nightfern smiled, rising up to her paws.

Stormclaw watched the queen as she hopped out of her nest, leaving Stonekit by himself. A frown quickly began to form on his face as Nightfern walked into Dawnblossom's nest and curled herself around the kits. Sensing her body and warmth surrounding them, the three kits began to squirm. Mewling, they instinctively began pressing close to her flank where they then began to suckle. Nightfern let out a content purr before glancing at Stormclaw. "See? Now we're friends!"

Stormclaw's blood began to boil with anger. "Get out of that nest, Nightfern," he ordered. "Stonekit needs you, not them!"

"Calm your scorpions, Stormclaw," Nightfern scoffed. "I'm just helping Dawnblossom! We queens look after each other's' kits you know…"

"She never asked for your help!" Stormclaw snapped angrily. "Instead you are trying to be their mother! Are you really started to prefer her kits over our own!" he questioned, lashing his gray tail.

Letting her mate finish his yelling, Nightfern merely flicked her tail. "You need to control your anger better," she responded flatly. "Especially when you're in a nursery with kits in it. Wouldn't want to scare them now would you?"

"You're unbelievable!" Stormclaw boomed. Whipping around, he stormed off towards the entrance. Just as he reached it, a flash of orange fur rammed into him, causing Stormclaw to hiss out in surprise as he fell back into the den. Nightfern immediately looked out of Dawnblossom's nest, her eyes round with curiosity.

"Firewhisker?" she blinked, recognizing the orange furred tom that had run into her mate.

Firewhisker had fallen down beside Stormclaw after their collision. Regaining his composure, the tom yanked himself off the ground and raced towards Dawnblossom's nest. Startled by his rash actions, Nightfern shot out of the nest and trotted back into her own.

Stormclaw frowned as he staggered to his paws. "What in Starclan's name is wrong with you, Firewhisker!" he demanded, glaring at the tom.

Firewhisker remained silent as he slowly padded into his mate's nest. Carefully, he sniffed at the kits before lying down beside them. He stared at the three kits as they squirmed towards him before whispering, "She's dead."

Nightfern flicked one of her ears. "What did you say…?"

"Dawnblossom!" Firewhisker cried, his voice getting louder. "She's dead! An adder bit her and now she's dead!" he wailed, resting his muzzle over his mewling kits.

Nightfern's eyes widened before she shot Stormclaw a look of sadness mixed in with excitement. Before Stormclaw could respond, the she-cat was up on her paws and padding towards Firewhisker. "Firewhisker…" she meowed softly, stopping by the edge of his nest. "I'm so sorry! Is there anything Stormclaw or I could do for you? I mean, I'm pretty busy with Stonekit but I'm still willing to help!"

Firewhisker swallowed back his tears before blinking up at the queen. "Nightfern…could you look after our kits…?" he asked softly. "I know you just had Stonekit, but there are no other queens I could ask! Please…I don't know what I'd do if I lost any of them!" he pleaded, his eyes wide with hopelessness.

Nightfern's tail curled happily. She couldn't believe it! She was going to get to raise those perfect kits! "Firewhisker of course I'll care for your kits," she purred. "It's the least I could do for you…and Dawnblossom," she ended, flattening her ears sadly to hide her happiness.

A large smile broke over Firewhisker's muzzle. "Thank you, Nightfern!" he breathed gratefully. "I don't know how I could ever repay you!"

Nightfern twitched her whiskers. "No need to repay me. Like I said, it's the least I could do!"

"Well the least _I_ could do is help you put them in your nest!" Firewhisker meowed, carefully grasping the scruff of one of his kits in his jaws.

Nightfern smiled at the tom before glancing at Stormclaw. "Care to help us, Stormclaw?" she purred.

Stormclaw flexed his claws angrily but padded over to the nest. He waited silently for Firewhisker to move out of the way before grabbing a kit in his jaws. He couldn't believe it! Of course he felt sympathy for Firewhisker and his kits, but he felt nothing but anger towards Nightfern. She had gotten exactly what she had wanted; Dawnblossom's kits. He obviously couldn't protest against it since Firewhisker had nowhere else to turn if he wanted his kits to survive. Shaking his head grimly, Stormclaw padded over to his mate's nest. Placing the kit he was carrying into the feather-padded nest, he looked down at his own kit.

Stonekit was unmoved by what was happening. The newborn tom was curled up by himself near the side of the nest, sleeping soundly as his mother placed the last kit of Dawnblossom's litter in the center of their nest.

"There," Nightfern purred, curling herself around the three kits. "They'll be safe and sound with me!"

Firewhisker smiled at her. "Of course they will. Thanks again, Nightfern. I will come to visit soon," he promised, backing away from the nest and towards the nursery's entrance. "But now…I have to go sit vigil for Dawnblossom," he meowed, sadness spreading itself back over his tone. He dipped his head to Nightfern and Stormclaw before slipping out of the shrubs.

"Poor Firewhisker," Nightfern mused before she smiled up at Stormclaw. "Would you like to meet your _new_ kits?" she purred in amusement.

Stormclaw bared his fangs at her. "Shut up, fox-heart! You got what you wanted and now I'm taking what's mine," he growled, picking up Stonekit by his scruff.

Nightfern slowly began to frown. "Go ahead," she growled. "You'll be back with him. I'm his mother if you forgot. He _needs_ me," she purred mockingly before she began to groom Dawnblossom's kits.

"I'm not the one who's forgotten that," Stormclaw spat. Turning away from her, he swiftly padded out of the nursery and gazed around, Stonekit hanging quietly from his jaws. His attention soon focused on the medicine cat's den. "Sandwing has to know a way to how to help me..." he murmured quietly between his kit's fur. With a flick of his tail, the tom walked away from the nursery that held his mate and towards the den he hoped to find help in.

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**A/N: I wonder what made Nightfern go insane...I hope Sandwing can help Stormclaw though c:**


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